1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor die package having mesh power and ground planes and a method for manufacturing such a die package.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor die or chip is an electrical component on which a microcircuit is built. The microcircuits can be interconnected together on the printed circuit board to form larger electronic circuits for use in radios, televisions, compact disc players, and computers, to name just a few. Because the semiconductor die is fragile, it is encased in a semiconductor die package to protect it from the environment. If one were to look inside an electronic device, such as a computer, compact disc player, or cell phone, one would see one or more printed circuit boards on which semiconductor die packages are mounted and electrically interconnected.
The semiconductor die package includes a housing that holds the semiconductor die and conductive leads or pins that extend from the bottom or sides of the housing. The conductive leads are electrically connected to the semiconductor die within the housing. The outside ends of the leads are typically connected to conductive paths on the printed circuit board or plugged into a socket on the printed circuit board. This secures the semiconductor die package to the printed circuit board and permits electrical signals to pass between the semiconductor die and other components on the printed circuit board.
The integrated circuits built on semiconductor dies are becoming increasingly powerful. As processing power has increased, the number of inputs and outputs between semiconductor dies and other circuit components has increased as well and is expected to increase further. Die packages must provide a larger number of leads or pins without significantly increasing the size of the package. In addition, semiconductor devices are being designed with lower operating power voltages in order to reduce size and power consumption. Notwithstanding lower power consumption, thermal performance remains an important factor in package design. As the operating power is lowered and device speeds increase, signal integrity has become increasingly important concern. For example, in device operation, fluctuations in power and ground voltages should be limited. Large fluctuations in power and ground are not only inefficient, but may cause erroneous operation and may even damage the integrated circuitry on the die. Moreover, parasitic inductances should be reduced to facilitate high-speed operation. Accordingly, there is a need for packages that are inexpensive, that can accommodate a large number of inputs and outputs, and that can support high speed, low power operation.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has as an object to provide an economical, compact die package having large number of inputs and outputs.
A further object is to provide an economical, compact die package and mating socket having large number of inputs and outputs that may mounted be to a substrate, such as a printed circuit board.
A further object is to provide a die package having stable power and ground planes.
A further object is to provide a die package having cost effective power and ground planes.
A further object is to provide a die package having easily configurable power and ground planes.
A further object to provide an economical die package having stable power and ground planes and a mating socket that may mounted be to a substrate, such as a printed circuit board.
A further object of the invention is to provide a sturdy and reliable die package having a large number of inputs and outputs and stable power and ground planes.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved power and ground plane arrangement that may be used with a die package, with a mating socket, or with a substrate.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.